Semen supplier?

[cowgirl30]

Anyone have strong views on the best dairy semen supplier to use in the UK at the moment? Looking for a complete refresh. Have been using more sexed too - and experienced mixed performance - so good to get views on best providers there too.

 

[Jdunn55]

Anyone have strong views on the best dairy semen supplier to use in the UK at the moment? Looking for a complete refresh. Have been using more sexed too - and experienced mixed performance - so good to get views on best providers there too.

cogent is my go to for most of my semen - there sexed is meant to be the best

genus is ok
semex I've had hit and miss results
blondin seems decent but I've only had one bull from there.

 

[jerseycowsman]

Anyone have strong views on the best dairy semen supplier to use in the UK at the moment? Looking for a complete refresh. Have been using more sexed too - and experienced mixed performance - so good to get views on best providers there too.

We see a bull we want to use, we buy it. Don’t care who the seller is

 

[Spudley]

We've had no luck at all with cogent sexed semen, we use mainly viking genetics and genus.

 

[Tasteless]

Don't care who we get it from. No one is the best and they are lying id the claim to be. They all have certain qwerks to sway you one way or another. Pick a bull on its Individual merit not on the company that sells it.

 

[Jdunn55]

Don't care who we get it from. No one is the best and they are lying id the claim to be. They all have certain qwerks to sway you one way or another. Pick a bull on its Individual merit not on the company that sells it.

The only thing i will say

I've never had a bull calf from sexed semen from cogent

All the others I've had too many

 

[Princess Pooper]

We've had no luck at all with cogent sexed semen, we use mainly viking genetics and genus.

.....Yet we have been buying exclusively sexed semen from Cogent since 2000 and using it to great effect from when it was first commercially available. (Other than a bit of conventional young bull semen through their Visions programme as this was pre-genomics and someone has to help get some proofs for young bulls).

Other farmers thought we were mad and the other AI companies were all slagging them off! It has helped us to stay in business with 80 cows.

 

[Spudley]

I don't know what it is with the cogent stuff, we use sexed from other companies and it works fine.

 

[Lhddsss]

The only thing i will say

I've never had a bull calf from sexed semen from cogent

All the others I've had too many

All the main companies bar genus use cogent/st machines to sex there semen so they will all be the same

 

[Jdunn55]

All the main companies bar genus use cogent/st machines to sex there semen so they will all be the same

I believe its only cogent who is 4m

Found a massive difference between 4m and 2m in terms of bull calves born for whatever reaspn

 

[Lhddsss]

I believe its only cogent who is 4m

Found a massive difference between 4m and 2m in terms of bull calves born for whatever reaspn

I believe blondin put 6m in some straws off there bulls that aren’t that sticky and no one talks about there fertility so can’t make much difference. 4m just a marketing tool to sell semen if 1 swimmer out off 2 or 3 million put in the right place can’t make it, what difference will chucking in another million. Bull fertility more important than amount I think

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

I believe its only cogent who is 4m

Found a massive difference between 4m and 2m in terms of bull calves born for whatever reaspn

Found a difference in conception rate too didn’t get on with the 2m very well.

 

[TheRanger]

.....Yet we have been buying exclusively sexed semen from Cogent since 2000 and using it to great effect from when it was first commercially available. (Other than a bit of conventional young bull semen through their Visions programme as this was pre-genomics and someone has to help get some proofs for young bulls).

Other farmers thought we were mad and the other AI companies were all slagging them off! It has helped us to stay in business with 80 cows.

Sexed and beef has been a game changer here the last 3-4 years.

Sold some dairy cross AA steers a few weeks back, they sold for an average of £400 per head more than the 3 pens of HF steers that subsequently went through the ring from another consigner. Similar age and weights. Pays for a lot of sexed semen that.

Using both Alta and Cogent stuff here, and cant seem to get above 33% conception rate on the cows, but getting 60+ with beef on cows and 60+ with sexed on maiden heifers.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Sexed and beef has been a game changer here the last 3-4 years.

Sold some dairy cross AA steers a few weeks back, they sold for an average of £400 per head more than the 3 pens of HF steers that subsequently went through the ring from another consigner. Similar age and weights. Pays for a lot of sexed semen that.

Exactly, that's basically what we have been doing for 24 years, except we use mainly British blue beef (+ sweeper AA bull)!

Admittedly in the early years the sexed ratio wasn't as good, but it enabled us to keep a closed herd and what price high health? Only time we have had to break it was 1 year due to big TB losses including a lot of in-calf heifers carrying sexed.

We don't have a large herd so these are small numbers, but these are our conception rates across all services (Custom Bay is the AA bull). Jacko and Helium on the heifers, All 3 Holsteins on the cows. Our overall conception rate is usually 65% + across all services.

 

[lady muck]

Hubby sells for Semex and very into their immunity plus bulls as he feels the calves are up on their feet desperate to suck and perform well in a very basic system. I do see a few bulls that should be heifers though (maybe 1 in 10)

 

[LTH]

We’ve used cogent and genus used genus mainly last few years just because of the selection of Friesian bulls they have currently. Had better conception rates with cogent sexed semen.

 

[How Dairy]

worth registering for your herd genetic report if you haven't already done so. There's a 'bull finder' and an 'inbreeding checker' that is totally independent of the sales spiel. https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/dairy-herd-genetic-reports

As for semen quality. Keep logs of conception and note any trends in certain bulls. You can then contact the company and query it. As far as I am aware, the process is strictly audited so it'd just be to do with transport, storage and AI protocol. I am not sure you'd have a leg to stand on if you couldn't prove your processes on farm - but I am sure you'd get good will if you could properly demonstrate an issue.

 

[More to life]

There all the same, variations are anecdotal basted on small sample sizes. Most problems stem from poor handling along the line. My view is don't stick to one as you'll end up with inbreeding issues. Make a plan stick too it ignore sales men they will never milk your cows for you.

 

[SolwayFarmer]

Anyone used UK sires?

 

[Bald Rick]

FWIW, we have started to work much closer with our semen supplier (in this case Cogent) to look through records and have conversations about targets and herd direction to ensure that the heifers coming through meet our needs

It's very easy to become blinkered in your thinking